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Monday, December 30, 2013

Best Performances of 2013

Lists are always a fun, silly, ridiculous pleasure. How on earth could you possibly rank and compare performances when each one has its own goals and techniques? It’s always in the eye of the beholder, particularly for this critic, who is very peripatetic. This is a list of the top ten out of what I happen to have seen. Maybe you saw something better that just wasn’t in my line of sight. Nevertheless, I love ranking things, I love listing things, and I love sharing absurd opinions. Here it goes, the best performances of 2013 (in reverse order because FUN).

10. Ruslan Skvortsov in Onegin Skvorstov amply demonstrated why it’s such a triumph that this ballet is now performed in Russia; his interpretation of the eponymous main character was highly nuanced in both pantomime and dance sections.

8. Boston Ballet in Chroma The last note had barely sounded when the audience roared to its feet in approval. The choreography also challenges long-held stereotypes about what men and women should do onstage.

5. Béjart Ballet in The Rite of SpringThe complete opposite of Number 6. Adrenaline pumping action and sex onstage. It might be the balletic equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster, but it's also the most engaging production of Rite of Spring I saw live in this anniversary year.

4. Misa Kuranaga in Sleeping Beauty She’s not as famous as some of the other people on this list, but for my money, Kuranaga’s one of the best dancers performing in the United States, maybe the world, today, and this Aurora amply proves why. Her musicality is superb and the way she connects each movement leaves me a little breathless.

1. Sergei Polunin in Swan LakeBy a wide margin, my favorite performance of the year. For all his athletic prowess, it’s his natural grace, his acting skill, and his charisma that make Polunin such a memorable dancer.